Winter flicks for the winter blues

No Strings Attached is an upcoming romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. It is directed by Ivan Reitman (father of Juno’s Jason Reitman) who directed the Ghostbusters movies and in 2006, the box-office bomb My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Like the title suggests, No Strings Attached is about two old friends who attempt to have a casual sexual relationship. Portman plays Emma, a doctor who, of course, has no time for relationships, and Kutcher plays Adam, a man who, of course, is game for some casual afternoon delight. The two leads go through that awkward period where they start doubting their potentially friendship-destroying behaviour and ultimately must make that typical rom-com decision to declare their feelings and pursue a romantic relationship.

While the premise sounds formulaic, the trailer suggests this movie could be pretty funny and (hopefully) it will be a romantic-comedy that is a movie first, rather than a chick flick.

Also encouraging is the fact that Portman rarely picks crappy screenplays and Kutcher has made enough of these movies that he should know a good film when he reads one.

No Strings Attached Jan. 21

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com. Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher’s chemistry is surprising in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached.

No Strings Attached is an upcoming romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. It is directed by Ivan Reitman (father of Juno’s Jason Reitman) who directed the Ghostbusters movies and in 2006, the box-office bomb My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Like the title suggests, No Strings Attached is about two old friends who attempt to have a casual sexual relationship. Portman plays Emma, a doctor who, of course, has no time for relationships, and Kutcher plays Adam, a man who, of course, is game for some casual afternoon delight. The two leads go through that awkward period where they start doubting their potentially friendship-destroying behaviour and ultimately must make that typical rom-com decision to declare their feelings and pursue a romantic relationship.

While the premise sounds formulaic, the trailer suggests this movie could be pretty funny and (hopefully) it will be a romantic-comedy that is a movie first, rather than a chick flick.

Also encouraging is the fact that Portman rarely picks crappy screenplays and Kutcher has made enough of these movies that he should know a good film when he reads one.

Blue Valentine Jan. 21

I have been waiting for this romantic-drama to come out for months and it looks like it will be worth the

Photo courtesy of themoremovies.com. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play a young blue-collar couple in Blue Valentine struggling against the highs and lows of relationships.

wait. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling play a young blue-collar couple; the movie charts their relationship’s evolution from sweet beginnings to a crumbling marriage.

Starring arguably two of the best actors of our generation, Blue Valentine looks like a wrenchingly raw and intimate examination of the highs and lows of love. In an interview, Williams talks about the many years it took for this movie to be made as well as director Derek Cianfrance’s instruction for the actors to actually live in the house while filming. This commitment and development of intimacy suggests explosive chemistry and fierce performances.

Like the song Gosling sings in the trailer, it seems we “always hurt the ones we love.” And for all the indie music lovers, pretty music makers Grizzly Bear scored the film. Though it was released elsewhere on the cusp of the new year, Blue Valentine will get a wider release this month with Calgary showings in February.

The Company Men Jan. 21

Photo courtesy of cinema4utv.blogspot.com. Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Affleck play two of three men dealing with downsizing at their company.

Especially relevant in these economic times, when “austerity” was the word of 2010, The Company Men follows three men (Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones) as they try to survive downsizing at their company. In the same vein as 2009’s Up in the Air, where George Clooney could have fired them, these men are on the other side of the firing table as they struggle to hold onto their bread winnings, manhood and competencies. These three men along with Kevin Costner, who plays Affleck’s brother-in-law who gives him a blue-collar job, are all Academy Award winners so expect some top-notch acting.

The trailer looks heart-warmingly family-friendly with an emphasis on the things that matter in life: family, being thankful for the things you do have and finding another income ASAP! Am I wrong to find it ironic to make a movie about people who may not be able to afford going to the movies anymore? Thank God for the Internet!

The Roommate Feb. 4

Photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com. Minka Kelly is dealing with one freaky roommate who turns into a stalker... and a killer in the thriller The Roommate.

As a new semester starts, Mount Royal students pour back into resident dorms or other Calgary-based living arrangements and many of them may be unhappy about returning to less than desirable living situations. Serving as a cautionary tale to university students everywhere, thriller The Roommate looks like an Ivy League version of Single White Female. Minka Kelly plays Sara, a freshman who is randomly assigned to live with crazy Rebecca, played by Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester.

They become fast friends but their friendship turns deadly as Rebecca becomes obsessed with Sara. Her obsession becomes violent as she begins attacking people close to Sara: love interests and other friends. The Roommate looks like another movie that I’m sure will further stigmatize the mentally ill as psychotic, unstable, and under medicated. The Roommate is full of hot, young actors and who doesn’t love watching young babes try to kill each other?

Maybe this flick will make your allergic-to-cleaning roommate seem like a blessing.

Read how memory in testimonies have been questioned and criticized in the past, and the psychological explanation behind it all in the third and final article of our Aftermath series ... See MoreSee Less